The Wisdom that Gives Me Courage.

I have craved being in more nature for over a decade. And I finally satisfied that craving with a move from Los Angeles to Pinehurst North Carolina among the trees, fresh air and all sorts of wild animal neighbors. What I've realized since being here is just how much security, confidence and courage nature gives me. No wonder I craved it.

It's not nature itself that I find so irresistible and nurturing, it's the wisdom it shows me, through its own example of growth and rebirth. As a teacher and friend, I have learned to relax and allow clarity to emerge.

The opposite of how I've learned to spend my days as a CEO and corporate executive coach. I am paid to deliver productivity, growth, clarity, cooperative working using deliberate methods to shape and guide behavior in the most effective way... and quickly (with coaching, time is money... literally).

Yet what I observe in nature is that there is no rush. No frenzy. No confusion. Everything is in perfect working order. When a tree is left alone, it thrives. Day by day, it grows. Things fall into place and it lives out its life’s purpose — to give birth to new life and to evolve to be the best version of itself.

That is nature's way and we are no different. In fact, we're built the same. We have forgotten how supported we truly are... when we can relax and receive our own potential.

Yet we live in fear. Like it takes miracles to live a life that’s meaningful and purposeful and full of abundance. Here’s the thing: You’re already a living miracle. And so is every living thing around you. Billions of years in the making and here you are. Nature's best attempt at full creative expression. And you are as good as it has ever been.

We are perfectly capable of becoming our best selves. Yet, it feels so hard to get there. At least, that’s how it feels when you fight nature — your own DNA-based nature. If we rest into who we are, allow the flow of our gifts, talents and ideas to come forward, without worrying about fitting in, we can thrive — and humanity can advance. Everyone is lifted when we do this now and for generations to come.

Our culture, especially the American culture, roots itself in the concept that it’s not practical to just allow, that things don't come easily and aren't free. You have to work for what you have and you must push, hustle, convince life to work for you. It's under your control and is your responsibility. As if there is no natural momentum in your life. You must do all the work.

Here's what I have come to believe: life has its own momentum. The moment each living thing is conceived, an unknown energy causes life to begin. And begin it will. Thrive it will. It’s in its DNA to not only survive, but to THRIVE where it’s planted. From the seed of an oak tree to the egg in a womb, life is in constant action to create the best possible outcome.

Are you different? Are you governed by laws other than those of nature? Do somehow human beings have separate laws of creation than every other living thing on Earth? I think not.

The plant, the fish, the bear — they all are born with an instinctual drive to thrive. We are all built with brain for learning, given an inner whisper of wisdom, and a body to create with. They understand that caring for themselves is required to realize their full potential. Period.

You are no different. You have everything you need. Even in a fuck'd up system that creates barriers for some and opens doors for others, there is an opportunity for growth. And if we all focus on what we are each uniquely here to contribute, we'll unlock magical doors of opportunity for each other. Just as the pine tree provides a perch for the woodpecker and the hot rock a warming spot for the snake.

The secret to unlocking your potential is found in your conviction that life is on your side. That when you move toward what you want it moves toward you. As if your life is calling to you and you're listening. Get still, follow your instinct, stay focused on keeping your nose on the scent of the trail... and you will arrive. I guarantee it.

Generations of human beings have made their way by doing exactly this. They have followed their instinct and their curiosity, their desire to live better than those who taught them, and created incredible innovation and discovery.

But somehow along the way, we lost the point. We experienced so much abundance that life has become all about the pursuit of more abundance … like the "thrive" gene in our DNA is working on overdrive and it doesn't know when enough is enough. This is where our separation from nature and its infinite wisdom emerge and cause the whispers that guide us to our ultimate potential to be silenced.

A change in the way we live is emerging. We are shifting as human beings. Our collective consciousness is starting to realize that in our pursuit of no-risk survival and our attempt to avoid pain, hurt and struggle, we’re missing a key aspect of ourselves: our spiritual connection to who we are and why we’re here.

The great resignation wasn't born from fear or scarcity, quite the opposite. We woke up to the potential of our life and heard the whisper to take a new path that nourishes and contributes in a the way only we each uniquely can.

While you may think spiritual connection isn't required for survival, it is. The disconnect that is caused by not being seen and heard as you are for who you are causes so much pain that it gets expressed in rage, greed, apathy. We shut down from our natural instincts to thrive, together, and turn on one another. We can’t stand to be disconnected from who we are. We just haven’t realized that this is our main issue as a human species: our disconnectedness.

When I finally sought help through coaching, I the words I used to describe the feeling that drove me to get support were: “I feel like my soul is dying.” And I’ve spoken to dozens of people who have said the same thing — they feel an ache in their body that causes such pain that they shut down. Numb themselves. Feel lost and broken.

It's ok, you're not alone. We are all in the process of being found in one way or another. Where our instinct guides us. Not our titles, the cars we drive or how much we do, but instead, by how close we are to feeling fully realized as living in our TRUTH.

So how will you look at your life differently when you understand that life has its own momentum that takes no effort on your part? It started the moment you were conceived and will continue, on its own, until you cross over to wherever we go after this beautiful experience.

Please know that there is a truth written in your soul that is seeking to be expressed. And it knows the way, if you allow it, to live a life that feels just right with no fear. It trusts in your own ability to know the way by following your instinct. That’s its purpose, after all: to give you comfort as it leads you to exactly where you’re supposed to go. To give you that deep knowing that what you’re doing is exactly what you’re supposed to be doing because it feels so right. Follow it. When you’re stuck, be still. Ask. Listen. And you will know.

It always knows the way. Trust it. Follow it and allow it to create its greatest innovation: YOU.